New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-28
HARVARD EASILY WINNER.
COLUMBIA BEATEN BY A BROKEN RECORD.

COLUMBIA BEATEN BY A BROKEN RECORD.
THE TIME OF THE UNIVERSITY RACE ON THE
THAMES THE SHORTEST KNOwN--coLUMBrA
CAUGHT IN THE EEL GRASS.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrsuxaJ 4
NEw-LoNDoN, June e7.-Kniclxerbocker and Pnrt
| tan had 1t out to-day on the Thames rowing
course, and as In days Of old the Puritan got the
best Of it but, il there was defeat without dis
honor, it was the defeat that the Columbia oars
men suffered to-day. Though they struggled in the
aquatic Slough Of Despond known as the "ecl
grass mile,' and the red oar blades of Harvard
flashed far in advance they plucdly stuck to thcir
work and cut down the lead of seventeen seconds
to seven seconds. and held the crimson there till
the finish flag was reached Harvard crossed the
| line in 30 rs, Columbia in 20 :22. This is by
| fifteen seconds the best time ever made tho
| course. The strong ebb tide due to recent rains
may have had something to do with this result, as
well as the slaShiny stroke of the men from CAM
bridge.
Inc day WINS oil that could be desired. The
towering archipelago Of feecy clouds set in an
ocean of light blue put the Columbia colors above
all else Every beetiny cliff and jutting headland
! Of the cloud-built Landscape leclxed the rppling
river dotted the wooded hilbidcs with iIs
shadow. A cool breeze from the north famed
the checks Of the spectators and all was bright
as the life Of screw man. and the curled
darling Of his class Up at the starting line the
launches Of the several colleges were early in po-
sition. The observation train umbled up with It's
rectangular amphitheatre OF life and color. That
ghostly little craft, the Harvard launch, with
Referee Watson on board, slipped here and there
through the water without ripple or sound other
than the gentle simmer Of the steam-jet in its
! Il IT. IL.
with Interested humanity, came sailing up from
New-London, and half dozen great sloop-yachts
sailed solemnly back and forth across the harbor.
lhe shells padded up to the starting line, and the
alphabetical "Hooray, Hooray, Hooray. COL
U-M-B-I-A" came rolling across the water from
the cars chartered by the boys in white and blue.
Before the echoes rolled back from the Ledyard
Hills, the rhythmic three times three of Harvard
came from the cars that had been painted red by
their occurants. The red jerseys came of all at
once, and the brawny backs of Harvard's chosen
were bare to sun and wind. The blue and white
followed suit and found a resting place in the
bottom Of Columbia's she'll
Referee Watson now had things fixed to his
mind. He gave the word at :35 p. M, and tho
sixteen caught the water at the same instant,
sixteen backs strained and Strengthened and tho
two light shells leaped on their course down the
river, rooted by its vista of low-ying clouds and
walled by the rocL-ribbed hills of Connecticut.
Spurred by the continuous volley Of "Rab Rail-
Rahs !" from the train and the shrelxing steam
whistles, the Harvard eight showed their boat TO
the front. The red bladed oars slipped i'm and out
of the water at the rate of 3s strokes minute,
falling to SO. Columbia was swinging away
at the same gait, cheered by the alphabetical
war cry of their comrades on the
fpot and fba fun Nall nCfnr Slaxylu
the Columbia boat pulled up on the English shell.
the pride and glory of Harvard's navy, and there
was small tempest of "Hoorays" from boat and
train the blue and white went to the front.
Occasionally the Columbia boys little
ragged" in their stroke, but the red blades
hardly stirred the waves, as they cut through
them. Without increasing their strokes.
but putting little rlore vim into them, Keyes
brought the Harvard boat to the front before the
first half mile was covered, and the flag was
passed in 2:4S with Columbia two seconds behind,
each crew putting in every ounce it had to spare,
with stroke of SO to the minute.
At the mile. Harvard dropped to 35 and Colum-
bia to 33 strokes minute. Both coxswains
steered straight to the mark, but the
Columbia boat had the east course and
when it reached the beginning of the Eel grass
mile" the effect was at once visible. The geam-
ing red oar blades flashed in and out with the reg
ular swing of 33 to the minute and drew
the Eneish-made shell away from the New
York boat. though Lockwood gradually
increased his swing in the effort to close
the gap Harvard had the full force of the ebb tide.
Columbia got only the sluggish current OF the eel
grass shoals From beng two seconds behind she
fell 10 twelve aud then to seventeen. Lockwood
raised the stroke to 35 and then to SO, and his
responded with mighty effort that sent their boat
forward with spring. They gained three seconds
and then six more, leaving them only two lengths
behind
At the three mile flag. Storrow, the little Har-
ward stroke had settled down to a regular swing
of 33 to the minute. which he held to the
end As the Columbia boat drew up the Cam
bridge she'll roar of cheers came rolling across
the water from the observation train
aud was taken up by the anxious
wearers of blue and white on the boats The Colum.
bia boys were doing their level best, and il they
could keep it up the race might yet be theirs.
On the last mile Columbia charged with all
her chlvary. The stroke went up another notch
to 81, the Harvard lead came down another
point to seven seconds. This spurt profted moth
ing The impetus of victory sent the crimson down
the last half mile with accelerated speed and Har-
ward finished ten seconds and little over two
boat lengths ahead The official time wss Har-
ward 2O:2O, Columbia 20:29 As the referees boat
was some way behind. however more reliance
may be placed on the time taken on the Yale
launch which is given below Tho last column
shows the difference in time.
Harvard Columbia Leai q
4S5 s9j lpi,Nfi Jdnafi 3
loii 1923 "a m,le IL